A quick trip to austin

September 23, 2013

Last weekend Walker and I took a quick trip to Austin. He had a work trip and I wasn’t planning on going at first. Then I got to thinking that I hadn’t experienced a lot of real summer weather, you know super hot days and warm nights-the kind of days you don’t have to change your outfit at all. As silly as it sounds I was also really wanting a hair cut and my stylist is in Austin. You think after a year of living in Seattle I would have found one but no. I finally committed when I saw that tickets (only 2 weeks out) weren’t that expensive and I could use miles-even better! So I just booked a ticket and went to Austin.

It was quite the whirlwind of a trip. We had dinner with Walker’s parents as soon as we landed. We met up with 2 sets of friends that evening. The next day we had brunch with friends at Snack Bar on South Congress. I met up with a friend in the afternoon and we had a great time catching up while sitting in the sun. It was so warm when we were there and it felt great! I was so happy to be sticking to my seat. Sometimes it just feels so good to be hot.

Later on Sunday we met up with a group of friends and went on a boat party. That was unexpected and really fun. I stayed with my friend Katie that night and met her dog Rio for the first time. On Monday I wandered around Austin and walked by some of my favorite places. I stopped by my old office and said hi to my coworkers. Walker and I had dinner with friends that night. On Tuesday I got my hair cut, had lunch with a friend, and headed back to the airport. It was short and packed full of fun and I can’t wait to go back again. I really do love Austin.

A sheep herding competition

September 20, 2013

One evening I had a missed call from my friend Sarah. In the message she said something about a sheep herding competition. I had to listen to it twice because I was surprised at the suggestion. Without knowing a lot of details I agreed to go because I have a flexible schedule for just such things, I was intrigued, there was going to be a fiber tent, and it was on Vashon Island-one of the islands in the area I had yet to visit.

I biked over to her house on that Friday morning to meet up with the group so we could carpool over. We drove to West Seattle and then onto the ferry. It was an especially foggy morning so the ride over was a bit ominous, but I liked it.

This is the only picture of a dog I got. I was a little too distracted by the fiber tent and forgot to take any pictures of the sheep herding. Although I’m not sure they would have turned out that well anyway. This puppy was so sweet though. As soon as you went to pet him he cuddled right up to you and also he loves hugs. Um can I take this one home?

During the sheep herding there was some down time so I went to check out the demonstrations at the fiber tent (fancy title for all things fiber related-knitting, weaving, spinning, felting, even yarn dying). When I got there this really nice lady was showing me how to needle felt. I had done it before but she seemed so excited to be sharing her craft that I just went with it. She then had me come sit with her and work on my own creation. I felt and probably looked like I was part of the event. When I was done she sent me away with a large bag of wool and a needle for making more fun things at home. How sweet is she!

The lady face I needle felted.

So I didn’t get any pictures of sheep but I played around with yarn all day long. Does that count? Anyhow we all had a great time and Vashon Island is adorable. I can’t wait to spend a weekend there sometime soon.

Tea for the bath

September 19, 2013

I love drinking tea and I love the colors and different ingredients blended all together that make up a tea. I’m not crazy about baths though because I have a really hard time relaxing and sitting still. When I saw tea for the bath I was knew I had to try it and maybe it would be a good way to get me excited about taking a bath.

This “recipe” makes enough for about 3-4 baths. I used:

1/2 cup of epsom salt 1/4 cup of pink Himalayan
1/4 cup of rose petals
1/8 cup of jasmine tea
1/8 cup of lavender buds
1 large reusable tea bag

Measure out all of your ingredients and mix them together. At this point adjust your ingredients as you see fit. If you think it needs more rose petals or salt go ahead and add them. Store in a mason jar until needed.

To use in the bath put about 1/4-1/3 of a cup of your mixture in the reusable tea bag and add to a hot bath. Let it steep for as long as you’d like. When you are done toss or compost the used petals and tea leaves, let the tea bag dry, and store the bag with your bath tea so it doesn’t get used for your drinking tea.

Some tips on where to find the ingredients:

epsom salt-can be found easily in most grocery and drug stores

pink Himalayan salt-I purchased mine at a store specializing in natural remedies in their bulk section. You could also look at a health food store or the spice isle of a grocery store. It’s best to find in bulk if you can and this will save you some money.

rose petals-I also got these at the natural remedy store in bulk. I have also seen them in bulk at the health food store. If you can’t find them you could always omit them from the bath tea and add a little more of the remaining ingredients.

jasmine tea-I purchase mine in loose form from the bulk section of the grocery store. Any place you can find bulk tea they should have jasmine tea. If you can’t find it in bulk you can always purchase tea bags and use the tea inside.

lavender buds-I would look for these in the bulk section of a health food store or perhaps at the farmer’s market. It would be even better if you grew the lavender and used the dried buds in your bath tea.

I made a batch for my blogger exchange box this past month but this would make an excellent gift for any season especially if you mixed up the ingredients to match the season. If you get this as a gift from me don’t be surprised. Ha!

If you have any other suggestions of where to find these ingredients or if you try a different combination please leave a comment below.

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